Red Velvet Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle

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If you’re looking for a special afternoon treat to share with friends or the kids, this Red Velvet Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle is a decadent chocolate cake that is easy to slice and serve.

I love simple tea cakes – they are an easy nap time recipe and the perfect treat for enjoying with friends alongside a cup of coffee. They also make a great, thoughtful gift – you can even triple the batch if you’re baking for more than one person.

Red Velvet is always a classic, but this cake is just as delicious as a chocolate loaf with cream cheese drizzle by simply leaving out the food dye. The buttermilk and vinegar serves to help increase the acidity which deepens the red colour when you use a natural cocoa powder (not dutch process), so you can get away with using less red food dye than with most red velvet cake recipes.

I’ve previously had great luck with natural red food colouring but I’ve been having an increasingly hard time finding it – I have also experimented with a beetroot cake for a natural red alternative but it was anything but decadent… So I think I’ll stick to a slice of this when I’m feeling the need for indulgence.

Tip: The loaf without glaze can be baked, tightly wrapped and frozen in advance. Just thaw out at room temperature for about 6 hours before you want to serve. This is great for preparing in advance for last-minute guests.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Loaf pan

Parchment paper

Large mixing bowl

Hand mixer or stand mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper..

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at at time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and red food coloring.

Beat ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Continue by adding another ⅓ of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour, beating just until combined.

For the cream cheese drizzle, mix together all ingredients and adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or more corn syrup.

Use a spoon to quickly drizzle the cream cheese mixture over the loaf – or a piping bag if you’re fancy.

Slice and serve.

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Red Velvet Loaf with Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoon red food colouring, optional

For the cream cheese drizzle:

2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper..

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at at time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and red food coloring.

Beat ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Continue by adding another ⅓ of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour, beating just until combined.